


Deception

by Repeatinglitanies



Series: Twisted [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Twisted Characters, historical setting, twisted relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:21:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24945286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Repeatinglitanies/pseuds/Repeatinglitanies
Summary: A companion piece to “Attention”Readers might need to look at “Attention” first before this fic.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Series: Twisted [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801291
Comments: 17
Kudos: 87





	Deception

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t think I’d write a sort-of sequel to Attention. But here we are.  
> Hope you enjoy this twisted fic

Five was always gentler with her whenever she showed him (unwittingly or not) even the least amount of affection. Sometimes, Vanya did so out of sheer calculation. Hauling buckets full of water for his bath, heating it, and then helping him wash and dry himself (and feeling him shiver at her every touch) was nothing if it meant that he would side with her when a maid or a groom decided to get in Vanya’s way.

Besides, Vanya enjoyed seeing the effect she had on him. She didn’t even care that the water she laboured to bring up to the tub installed in his room would only end up spilled on his marble floor as soon as he decided he had had enough and needed Vanya to take care of his… more _pressing needs_. 

With his hard body against hers and his cock deep inside her, it was usually more than enough to banish that little prick of conscience that bloomed whenever she thought too deeply over how a mere touch could have Five believing that she (or rather the Vanya in his mind) was finally starting to care for him. 

She knew what sort of household produced a man like Five. One that prized cunning and dominance. One that gave no quarter. One that did not tolerate failure.

Old Mr Reginald Hargreeves was a hard man. And Vanya suspected that the old man, who would have been her father-in-law had she allowed it, raised his sons to believe that there was nothing worse than to fall short of his lofty expectations. Because even as far back as the day they had first met, Five had been driven to excel, to be better than anyone inside or outside his own family. More than that, he wanted everyone to acknowledge his talent and intellect. For everyone to know that he was the best at whatever he did.

In a sense, Five needed the reputation to develop and maintain contacts (for business or other more darker ventures). He never bothered to tell her. Probably never even intended for her to know what most people whispered about him. But his reputation (or was it his notoriety) preceded him. 

And as a girl who lived in a society that prized reputation, Vanya knew how a speck of dirt that could tarnish one’s name had the power over life and death. So even if he chose not to impart that side of himself to her, Vanya knew that he cultivated it despite private sessions with Vanya’s father that usually ended the same way. Father wanted him to break off his connections with the unsavoury (best left unseen) aspects of society (Not that Father was concerned for Vanya’s sake. More because Father did not want it said that his future son-in-law was no better than a thug despite his aristocratic upbringing). And Five would simply ignore it. It was not as if Father would be willing to break off the engagement with compensation he could ill afford.

Father could barely afford keeping up appearances of old family wealth. In fact, Vanya’s father found it a godsend that Five visited so infrequently. All the better to keep the metaphorical dirty laundry hidden. As it stood, Vanya had to watch her father mismanage her inheritance from her grandparents all while she had to learn to keep the old family home tidy and in order with the help of the few family servants who stayed either out of loyalty or having nowhere else to go.

She learned that duplicity was even harder work than cooking on open fire, mucking out stables or mending dresses that should have been turned to rags. And yet, the very act of putting up a facade to hide whatever was underneath turned out to be useful. When one is underestimated, one’s enemies never do expect the attack one directs their way.

For all of Five’s connections, he never did find out about the state of her family’s finances. Vanya had to pat herself in the back for how successfully she managed to deceive the rest of society and silence any disgruntled servants. 

That was cold comfort to the fact that Five barely thought about her. He was no idiot. If he truly wanted to find out more about her, he could. But he didn’t. 

Then again, she was simply a possession given to him. Why would he bother with something he already had when he devoted every waking moments to things that were out of his reach.

A horse, a prized painting, a failing company he could buy for a song and sell for more than it was worth. He would swoop right in and take them before his father’s agents got to them. And only after that could he toss these things in some hidden corner to forget they had ever existed.

Five deluded himself into thinking that it was his way of breaking away from his father. That by having more power and influence than Reginald Hargreeves and taking things from his father, Five would finally beat his father at his own game.

But to Vanya’s eyes, all that did was turn Five into his Father. Unconsciously, he had used Reginald Hargreeves’ methods and measures as a blueprint into how he lived his life.

Vanya would have accepted that if not for the fact that this competition with his father consumed Five body and soul. He barely had any time to visit her back when she was still a respectable young lady from a prominent family. And when he did, Five had not even bothered to look at her, much more talk to her. Though thankfully, his thoughts did not wander to how some of the items in the receiving room were a little different, perhaps a tad bit shabbier. Sometimes, she wondered if it was better had he never come to see her.

She knew what was expected of her. Marry Five, manage his household and bear his children. While he engaged in his cold, private war with Reginald Hargreeves, Vanya was to stay in her designated corner and wait until he deigned to look at her and remember her existence. 

Back in her father’s home, she had despaired of a future where she would lie awake in a cold, lonely bed waiting for Five to come home and share it with her. Sometimes, her darkest thoughts would lead her to imagine that he would only come to her for the sole purpose of producing children. 

She would love any child she would have with him. And they would be the stars in her sky and save her from the loneliness. But children eventually grow up to make families of their own.

And then, where would she be? Alone in a big mansion, with a husband who wouldn’t spare her the time of day.

Even so, it was the wise choice. The safe option.

What would happen if she chose to break off the engagement? Her father would be livid at what her actions would cost him both in actual currency and reputation. Even though as a man, he would still be received in society. There would be whispers about the kind of daughter he raised. Besides, no one humiliated a member of the Hargreeves family without paying a price. 

Vanya did not think Reginald Hargreeves would bother to retaliate on behalf of his estranged son, nor would Five’s brothers for that matter. But she has heard stories of how much energy Reginald Hargreeves put in his children’s education. Unlike other sons of the aristocrat, he preferred to educate his children at home rather than sending them to boarding school.

That made it sound as if Reginald Hargreeves would have a closer relationship with his sons than most noble fathers. But any illusion of that would quickly shatter once one actually met Reginald Hargreeves. As far as Vanya could tell, he wanted his children moulded after his own image. And he trusted no educational institution to do the job.

So he decided to do it himself, to mixed results.

It seemed to Vanya that the most rebellious son, the one who openly went up against him turned out to be the one most like him.

Reginald Hargreeves taught them most of the things gentlemen should know. From managing the estates to the recreational sports of hunting and fishing. As the old man had been an adventurer in his youth, he also taught them survival skills that would better ensure they lived should they find themselves in the jungle, in the desert or in an arctic wasteland. 

But more than that, he taught them of the long, bloody history of the Hargreeves family. Showing how they survived through various Machiavellian techniques. As a rule, they were to show no weakness. Because it would only be exploited by their enemies. And as a member of an illustrious family that amassed wealth and power for centuries, they already had enemies by default. 

To his credit, Mr Hargreeves had his sons remember to treat tenants and employees fairly. Not because of any sentimental attachment for good works. But more because it was the more practical approach to keeping their lands and possessions. The Hargreeves family had existed since the first kings of old. They had lived through bloody wars and coups as well as peasant revolts. The family didn’t get to where it was by ignoring history.

In all honesty, Vanya would not be surprised if the old man actually lived through countless eras. Reginald Hargreeves had medieval sensibilities, which he had passed on to his sons. He accrued his power and influence by one basic principle, which was to pay back what was owed. Reward loyalty to encourage the behaviour. Punish any perceived slight (no matter how small or petty) as a warning to others, making them think twice about future attempts.

And if the stories Vanya had heard were true (and she held no doubts that they were), a Hargreeves retaliation was positively medieval and most likely illegal in their nation and other governing territories.

But as time passed, slighting Five started to form an appeal.

Vanya had loved and longed for him since the day they met. Tried to know as much about him as she could and get close to him, as much as she would dare as a lady of a noble house. And yet, he barely noticed she was in the same room. 

But the people who cheated, insulted or merely just annoyed him received more attention and time from Five then she ever did.

In Five’s mind, Vanya was already his. There was no need to fight for her. And that, Vanya realized, was the problem. Five never valued anything he didn’t have to claw, scratch, beat or kill his way through. 

In other words, Vanya had to shake Five off of his complacency if she was to make him recognise her worth. 

To Five, she was a proper young lady who would follow every rule that society had put in place. There was an agreement made between her father and his. And she was expected to honor it even if she had no say in the matter. 

If she was to snare Five, Vanya had to be unpredictable. In order to make sure he wouldn’t simply brush any of her actions as mere eccentricities, she had to do something scandalous that would have him running towards her.

She needed to make him think he was a hound hunting a fox when in fact Vanya was a spider waiting for her prey to get tangled in her web.

And that’s exactly what she did. 

It was a huge gamble that she knew meant completely breaking off ties with her family. But at the end of the day, her family was simply a loss she was willing to make to gain Five.

She had put a lot of thought into this. And concluded that she would rather be a pauper than be ignored by her fiancé any longer. 

It sounded melodramatic. And she knew that a lot of things could go wrong with her plan. But she grew up with only herself to rely on. Vanya only ever had her wits and her penchant for duplicity. That would have to be more than enough. So she put her trust in herself, in how much she knew Five. 

Vanya didn’t harbour any illusions that he actually cared for her. There were brief instances when she felt sure she detected a hint of attraction. From him towards her. But those moments were so few and far between that she thought that she might have simply imagined it.

No, she couldn’t rely on simple seduction to gain and maintain his attention. She needed him to keep coming back to her until one or both of them left the mortal coil.

Lust and attraction were so fleeting. Her own father cycled through lovers in a span of a year. Vanya had to rely on an emotion that lasted far longer than that.

She knew for a fact that as much as he pretended to be above the opinion of what he considered to be lesser people, he actually did care a great deal of how they perceived him. Most people thought of him as the type of man who shouldn’t be crossed or trifled with. Some might even call him a monster, willing to cross any line.

So if Vanya did something to dent that seemingly invulnerable reputation, she was sure Five would have no choice but to retaliate, even in the unlikely chance he would be unwilling.

Mr Jenkins came at the most opportune time. She had concluded that a sacrifice, or rather an unwitting accomplice was needed. In that, he fit her criteria almost down to the minutest of details. If she did not know better, Vanya would have said he was sent from heaven. Though perhaps it would be more fitting to say that he came from hell. For as much as Mr Jenkins tried to hide it, tried to keep up a gentle, kind-hearted facade, Vanya knew he was a dark soul.

It took one to know one. Was her soul not as dark, or even darker? Vanya was sure Five’s mirrored her own.

The only difference was that Vanya’s darkness was just subtle enough to slip through cracks to pass detection. It came with a lifetime of learning to blend among a crowd of people and a childhood of being ignored and all but left to her own devices. 

There truly was no excuse. She chose Mr Jenkins all while knowing full well what would happen when Five caught up with them. 

What exactly would be done to Mr Jenkins for stealing what Five saw as his possession, Vanya did not know. But she was certain that it would end the same way, his body either buried six feet underground or weighed down with rocks as it submerged in a body of water.

Of course, there was a chance she could be doomed like Mr Jenkins. It was not unheard of for a man to kill the adulteress along with her lover. That had been the only reason it took longer than necessary to plan her ruin. 

And yet, her thoughts only inevitably fall back to the same conclusion. 

She was willing to take the risk of being a cautionary tale and a joke to gain Five’s attention. She had to believe that spark of lust in Five’s eyes was not simply a product of her own imagination, had to hope that it was enough to keep her alive. 

Vanya had lived most of her life as simply a mere footnote in the story of her family’s life. She grew up and lived among people who found it easy to forget she had even existed. 

The only thing that made her endure it was the thought of making her own family with her dark, mysterious fiancé. It had been foolish of her to pin her hopes on him, on another person. But it had been too late by the time she realized that error. Even if she had a choice, Vanya would not have changed her decision. She was determined that he treat her as if she was the center of his world, not a mere satellite that he would occasionally glance at when she chanced to orbit near his line of vision.

When Five made her a servant instead of a legally acknowledged mistress, Vanya had to bite back a cry of joy.

For one thing, he didn’t kill her. And it proved that he wanted her. He didn’t love her. But she could settle with being wanted. 

To be a mistress (as she had first expected) in their society meant that she would be installed in a home that he would buy or rent for her. Under no circumstance would a mistress be allowed to live with him at his registered place of residence. Which in Five’s case meant that busy work, time and distance could easily make him forget about her.

Mistresses could not just come and go inside the main house as they please. In a sense, just like wives, they are to wait until the man wants them and comes to them. It would take far too much of her patience for Vanya’s liking.

Thus, in hindsight, becoming a servant was better. Some would call her current state more akin to indentured servitude, some would even call it slavery with not being given a wage and expected to work simply for room and board. But that was simply from the point of view of someone from the outside looking in. While not as grueling as being a servant in Five’s household, Vanya’s life as a young lady from a secretly failing noble house was not such a big difference. True, she got to wear finer clothes and eat sumptuous dishes during the times guests would call. But without the presence of outsiders, she had to work alongside servants to keep up with the facade. Her father certainly was no help, thinking manual labour beneath him even as he buried them further into possible ruination.

So she learned to be underhanded. Having others do her bidding, all the while never knowing that their actions had been orchestrated from the moment she met them.

Vanya knew full well who was the true master in any situation. Her current relationship with Five was no different.

As a servant living in his home, Vanya could be anywhere within Five’s house. While it was true that men like Five grew up with servants and had long learned the art of ignoring the presence of hired help (they were much like furniture as far as nobles were concerned), Vanya quickly learned how to make him notice her, even while covered in dust and rags.

So as she scrubbed his floors, polished his silver, washed his clothes, cooked his meals and served them, Vanya always made the best of any opportunity whenever it arose. A flash of the inside of her wrist as she placed a tray on his table, a peek at her legs as she lifted her skirts to keep it from getting wet, a view of her smooth, pale neck (though at times it would be marred by his attentions from last night) from a shirt that _preferred_ to fall over her shoulder especially when Five happened to pass by.

She always made sure those little incidents happened in the daytime. Five wouldn’t dare do anything while the other servants were up and about.

But by nightfall, he would be sure to release all that pent up lust and frustration on her. Vanya happened to like it when he took her hard and fast.

Though there were merits to him being slow and gentle from time to time. 

It was all such a delight to Vanya that she often had difficulty concealing a smile. And at times, she would find her arms rising up to move him closer to her in an embrace.

Sometimes, she was too late to stop herself. And Five would assign her less strenuous tasks in the morning. He probably hoped to train her like a dog. Do what he wanted and she would be rewarded with an easier life.

Vanya knew better than to fall for that trap. 

The moment she became nothing more than a puppet on his strings, he would just as easily put her in a box and lock her away. He would forget about her. Relegate her on a shelf where all his conquered challenges go. And he would be off to the next undertaking, whatever it might be.

Vanya couldn’t have that. 

So even if it meant having to deal with that slight prickling of conscience for treating Five this way, she decided to fight.

Not through violence. But by making him believe she didn’t want him. 

So after a few days of affection and gentle lovemaking, Vanya would wait for him to open her door. Five was a creature of habit. He would halt outside her door for a few minutes before coming in, as if debating the merits of continuing or perhaps he was wondering if this night would be like the past few nights. To be honest, those scant moments of uncertainty was when Vanya was at her most anxious. 

There was always the possibility he would turn away and leave. But he had never done so before (at least not yet). As soon as he stepped past the threshold, Vanya had to hold back her delight because she knew that she had yet again won the battle. 

Then it would be business as usual. Five followed the same pattern, closing the door to her small cell-like room as soon as he entered. And after placing his candle on the much too-small desk that also supported the bowl of water she used to cleanse herself, he would have her.

If she wanted him to take her roughly like she always did after the past few days he was almost affectionate with her, all Vanya had to do was undress without any prompting on his part, get on all fours and ask with a quivering voice to: “Please make it quick.” 

She didn’t have to look at him to know the clenching of his jaws that indicated how much of a sore loser he was. He was displeased.

It always happened when she broke the pattern. He did not like to be reminded that he was forcing her. Of course, Vanya was in fact more than willing but it wouldn’t do to have him know that and eventually take her for granted. 

So she let him think she did not want him. Just to make him want her all the more.

And so, whenever she begged him to let it be done quickly, Five would oblige her. But only when it came to the hurried thrusting and withdrawal of his member from her body. 

Even after he had already emptied himself inside her, he would insist that he was not done. 

Usually, he’d stay until the morning, dozing in between moments when he wasn’t forcing himself to slide in and out of her. Sometimes, Vanya wondered if it was his way of begging. For what, she was not really sure. 

To her, this was the best possible outcome. Vanya did not have his love. She did not suffer the delusion that Five was capable of love. So she settled for the next best thing: his attention.

Again, she ignored that sting, that prick of conscience that told her she shouldn’t do this to someone she claimed to love.

But she was doing him a favour really. His obsession with beating his father was not good for him. It truly wasn’t.

This way, she could help distract him from that and get what she wanted from him.

Despite her well-reasoned thoughts, the guilt still came. But Vanya had learned to live with that. Five had a way of helping her forget about it. Even for just a little while.


End file.
